Older (I think) bike question...

Hello all!

Forgive me is this is the wrong place to post this, but im quite new at this.

I recently came into possession of a Giant Rock 4000 bike.
I think this would be classified as a mountain bike (see? told you I was newb), am I correct?
Also, if anyone knows what year that is, that information would also be appreciated.

Here is one on Craig's list. If yours looks like that it is certainly a mountain bike. It should have 26" wheels, knobby tires, and a flat handlebar. (The bike pictured is a kid's bike, possibly with 24" wheels, but if you check your tires or rims they will probably say 26").

You should check for all frame decals and component names - on the brakes, wheel rims, shifters, derailleurs, etc. - and post the info here, and people can probably tell you the approx age and general quality of the bike.

Looks like a lower end Giant mountain bike. I wouldn't suggest anything off-road more serious than a rail-to-trail type ride. Probably not a bad commuter though the knobbies will slow you down.

Don't apologize for being new to the sport. I appreciate the fact that you are interested in cycling and may become "one of us". Remember, everyone, and I mean everyone, was once a "newbie" (God how I hate that word!) to everything they now seem proficient at. If you are going to post to forums like this, you are inevitably going to run across some absolute nattering nabobs of negativism, my advice is nil illegitimus carborundum.

Thanks Meta!
I figured it was more entry level than anything else. Fortunately, you just described precisely how I intend to use the bike. Quick commuter. Ill look into new tires, which are less "knobby", and see if that improves things. The only real "offroad" im doing is a converted rail trail here in the area, and thats a very short hop. Appreciate the encouragement. Theres alot to learn, but ill try not to let the illegitimate children wear me down. Thanks!!!

That bike is a good choice for a new commuter. It has fenders which are very important if you get caught in rain. Like most mountain bikes, yours has three cogwheels, or chainrings, adjacent to your pedals ("a triple crankset") and probably 7-9 at the rear wheel ("the cassette") giving you 20+ gear choices, adequate for all wind and hill conditions. The wide, flat handlebar means you can ride with your hands always on the brakes and steer with great confidence in traffic; but it's not as comfortable on really long rides as the narrower, bighorn shaped "drop bars" seen on road bikes. That's because you can get tired or numb hands from them always being stuck in one position on flat bars. So the flat bar is fine for commuting. Mountain bike tires, even when slick, are a little slower than the skinnier tires on most road bikes, but you'll have far fewer flat tires - maybe none at all.

If you do start commuting regularily, you should look into getting a rear rack. If you're lucky the bike will have eyelets for mounting a rack on the upper part of the rear "dropouts" (the plate-like part of the rear frame that the rear axle and rear chain derailleur bolt to), and on the seat stays (the twin posts the rear brake is attached to), but even if the eyelets aren't there racks and fasteners are available for any bike. It's easier to commute with your stuff on the bike, not on your body. You can lash your backpack to the rack, or stash it in various types of packs, cases or baskets that attach to the rack. The only kind of rack that might not work is the kind that just clamps to your seat post. If you compare your bike to the kid's one I posted, you'll see your bike frame has a horizontal top tube, not a sloping one, so your seat post doesn't protrude much, and a seatpost-mounted rack might be too snug under your seat.

EDIT...by squinting I can see you have eyelets on your rear dropouts for mounting a rear rack.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! Ive dropped some $$$ on new gear. Picked up a pair of slick tires from the LBS, and a new rack from the local hardware shop. The supplied screws dont quite make it through the eyelets on the dropouts, so im gonna have to find new ones.

Thanks again for all the help, all. It made the transition into a bicycle commuter much easier!!!!

and a new rack from the local hardware shop. The supplied screws dont quite make it through the eyelets on the dropouts, so im gonna have to find new ones.

If the dropout eyelets are threaded, the screws (or bolts) can go most of the way through and still do the job. If they are really short and you want to replace them, usually you are looking for 5mm hex bolts, and most bike stores would have them. If the eyelets are not threaded, and you need to add a nut, try to mount the screwhead on the inside and the nut on the outside so it doesn't interfere with the chain.